POLL: Should Sachin Tendulkar retire now?

India’s defeat at the hands of England in the second Test match in Bombay has turned the spotlight not on the spinners who were supposed to take revenge on the Poms for what they did to us when we went to their country, but on India’s greatest ever cricketer, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

With the 39-year-old getting out cheaply twice in a row to the left arm spin of Madhusudhan Singh alias Monty Panesar—his last 10 Test innings have yielded just 153 runs at an average of 15.3—the calls for Sachin’s retirement are ringing aloud once again.

For its part, the BCCI says the maestro will himself decide when it is time to go.

“He will hang up his boots when he thinks it’s time for him to go. He does not need any advice on this. Before making a comment on his performance you have to see his colossal record and his past performance. “He will do well in forthcoming matches,” BCCI official Rajiv Shukla has said.

The irony will not be lost on many, that while Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman—no less contributors to the India Batting story—were given no such choice to decide their fate, the BCCI seems overly reluctant to make up its mind on Sachin’s future although Sachin himself indicated in a recent television interview that he was unlikely to play the next World Cup.

Question: should Sachin take the cue from his recent performances and pack up his bags or should he stay on because, well, a turnaround could still be around the corner?

I am told that Sachin as an individual has been philanthropic and taking care of the education of 200 kids. Indeed, a noble gesture. He has trotted all these years and created series of records (unlike Bradman or Sobers who achieved reckonable landmarks without playing so many Test matches and ODIs). Of course, Bradman played till the age of 40 years in 1948 and the period of six years between 1939-45 no Test matches were played.
All said and done, it is time for Sachin to hang his boots and pack his kit or handover the same to his son, who reportedly is a budding cricketer. He has gained from whatever the game could offer and one wishes that he puts a full stop to the traits of greed which exist in every other human being.

Am a huge Dravid fan, never been much of a Sachin fanatic, but have loved watching him match. It’s anyway India that benefits if he scores runs. :)

I think we need to cut him some slack though. This is only his 6th test match failure in a row if you look back. I remember the time when Dravid was going through a rough patch and David Lloyd I think gave this formula for players like him. “If he’s played more than 100 tests and has been this consistent, give him 10 tests to prove his form. It is only fair.” By that count that match where he was commentating was the 7th after 6 failures for Dravid and it was Mohali 2009 against England where he scored that 100 and saved his spot. Yes, Sachin’s age is an issue, but with Dravid and Laxman gone, it might be good if he’s around for a couple of series more. And fitness-wise he’d put Ashwin, Zak or Sehwag to shame any day, none of these guys Dravid, Sachin or Kumble ever made any compromise on their fitness.
So there is no reason why he shouldn’t get his 10 tests. At least let him complete this series and take a call himself as he’s said. Surely Sachin, after 23 years won’t be the kind to hang on. Too proud for that, wouldn’t have scored all these runs otherwise.

And no, I don’t believe Dravid or Laxman were not given any choice, they were not pushed, but retired on their own. Even after the disastrous 4-0 against Aus when their heads were being called for by the media and public, no one was making statements from the BCCI asking for their heads. It was clear Dravid was going to go somewhere mid-way, he’s always one who looks ahead and plans keeping team needs in mind and would definitely have thought the home series would be a good time to build. Hell, he probably had realized there were no more major challenges for him to hang around for as he’d not be making the SA flight anyway. VVS was a surprise, and he was selected for the NZ series anyway.

Sachin should have retired a couple of years ago.He is needlessly blocking the path of youngsters who deserve a chance.Unfortunately , our cricket control board is corrupt like the politicians and no one wants to tell Sachin to quit…

Sachin Tendulkar needs to understand that if Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble have now retired, it is high time that he even retires. It is better to leave with heads high rather than been thrown out of the team. Many players came after him and also retired before him. Usually that could never be the case. But as it Sachin Tendulkar, no one would have that sort of performance where they would be able to be that consistent to stay in the team. But now the situation is that Sachin Tendulkar needs to retire. Every Indian cricket fan appreciates his 23 years of cricket contribution for the team. Others are waiting in the queue and they needs to be given the opportunity otherwise they will never develop. Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Robin Uthappa, Manoj Tiwary, Ajinkya Rahane, Murali Vijay and many more bright talents are awating, PLEASE GIVE THEM A CHANCE.

No. A definite NO. He is no doubt going through a bad phase. But Can you name who didn’t . Rahul Dravid went almost not scoring runs for two years consecutively and then came back strongly and played another year or so before retiring. Sachin has alwayd proved his critics of who he is and what capability he has. He have done wonders. At the age of 37 (in 2010) , he was the ICC Player of the year. Almost 10 years ago (1997) people in cricket viewers commented: “Arjuna Ranatunga will see the end of Sachin”. You know what happened then. It was sachin who saw the end of Ranatunga for almost more than 10 years. I AM SURE HE WILL COME BACK STRONGLY. Afterall, SUCH GENIUS IS BORN ONLY ONCE. He canot exit through the back doors (poor form) BUT WILL RETIRE LIKE A LION with the WHOLE WORLD AMAZED at his achievement

Guys before commenting please do realize that he is one of the greatest Cricketer the world cricket has ever seen. He know when to retire than we do.

“As long as there is a reason to wake up with a reason in the morning, it makes sense in continuing (playing cricket). The day I don’t enjoy wielding bat in my hands, I will think otherwise. But that moment hasn’t come as yet. When I will get that feeling, I will confirm on that” – Sachin on his retirement

sachin lost his spark for the past one year with miserable performances abroad. It is time he packs his bag , bid good bye to test and other internationals.But then what prevents him from doing this is the huge advertising money riding on him, both sachin as well as BCCI will loose commercially, added to this, sachin is still a kid at heart,has not grown up, does not have a life outside cricket and will be a difficult life for him away from this.He is the classic prisoner on 2 fronts which has turned him a miserable man.he is cutting a sorry figure.A great cricketer but then not the greatest.

Dravid,VVs are a different pedigree, they are erudite,cultured,classical and humane..Apart from fantastic cricket they played, they are first rate ambassadors of our country.it will be a privilege to meet them and talk.

Throw him out please!! He has lost respect and lost a chance to go with dignity. He may be a great, great player no doubt, but he hasn’t been a team player. He hasn’t played to help the team win, but has played to score his personal records. No doubt, he has also helped the team to win and helped India to become a world power in cricket – but by and large he has played for records.

And his statement that only ‘he’ will decide when to quit is arrogance and a slap on the face to selectors. He has not performed and not only he is a liability, but he is blocking the entry of young blood. His arrogance has probably increased after becoming an MP.

He has very little time. In the next test, he must perform and then quit and go out on a high. Else he will be the object of ridicule and young kids who worship him will be devastated.

India might be a cricket crazy nation, but what it lacks is cricket culture.
England, Australia , NZ, south Africa have a proud cricketing pedigree which they value and proudly inherit.
McGrath, flintoff,trescothik, warne, Justin Langer,Chris cairns, makhaya ntini, Shane bond all modern day great cricketers announced retirement when they still had couple of years of good cricket left in them and when they were playing well.
When cricketers feel some one else better than himself is young and ready, they heartily retire keeping in mind the future of cricket.
Its sad that the wicket, bowlers would dream to get has become a easy scalp, zero impact batsman.

He waiting for one more record !
First Father and Son to play together in a international test series
On serious note: as some body wrote, he does lot of charity work ( his dad was a great personality and human being) and his mother in law runs a great charity program in ‘amchi Mumbai’. They never advertise / take credit for these things. At least part of money is coming back to society.( unlike NRN, Shaws etc)

It is high time, everyone realises that Sachin, despite his records has arguably been a complete blot and a shame on Indian cricket.
Name any notable International or Indian cricketer, and all have retired from sports in glory, and with respect, at the right time in their career.
There was talk about a dignified retirement a few years back, with even the most well known players including Imran Khan and Steve Waugh suggesting the same, but the insatiable financial greed ensured all that was mere talk.
Some claim that it is the elusive 200 tests record that the currently poorest performing Indian batsman is after, while his financially well-rewarded cronies like Dravid. politicians of all shades and BCCI black money pots continue to trumpet that he is going through a long bad patch but has many more years left in him!
People need to know the obscene amount of advertising money riding on him as well as the lure of a stint in the most corrupt Cong-I politics in a few years.
The ‘respectable cricketer’ had successfully claimed deductions from convertible foreign exchange, significant amounts he received as advertising income from ESPN Star Sports, Pepsico and VISA in 2011.
In June 2011, he invited wrath of fans on social networking sites after selling off a Ferrari 360 Modena supercar that he received as a gift from Schumacher! The sports car was sold to Jayesh Desai, a Surat businessman who refused to reveal any details on the amount or modalities of the suspecetd black money transaction. “When Sachin got his Ferrari as a ‘gift’, he wanted duty & excise exemption; now that he has sold it will he ask for capital gains exemption?” wrote Tushar Gandhi, great-greatgrandson of Mahatma Gandhi, on social networking site Twitter.
Tendulkar, whose earnings over two decades amount to many hundreds of crores if not billions, had taken a bank loan of 25 lakh to buy a tiny apartment on the outskirts of Mumbai.
The cricketing hero has had his controversies in the pitch too. In the second Test between South Africa and India in Port Elizabeth in November 2001, reputed international match referee Mike Denness, a straightforward and firm Scot who had captained England in 12 Tests between 1973 and 1975, declared with clear camera proof that Sachin had been found tampering with the seam of the ball. On two occasions he was spotted clearly by the camera working on the seam of the ball with the thumb and forefinger of his left hand. The powerful India board president Jagmohan Dalmiya demanded Denness be removed from the final Test, where he was again the nominated ICC referee.
Talk about Sachin and BCCI’s clout? Well, Denness served as match referee in only two more Tests and three ODIs and was not reappointed by the ICC the following year.
Our hero has been very keen on having the 12-year old Arjun Tendulkar, get selected and bowl for India. Considering his power and clout, no one will be surprised. Our colonial obsession with cricketing royalty has already allowed Arjun to do unofficial practise along with the Indian squad, even on overseas visits.
The Cong-I nominated MP has been blocking so many young talent from getting limelight and exposure, including Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Robin Uthappa, Manoj Tiwary, Ajinkya Rahane, Murali Vijay and many more bright talents with no political clout or god father in the BCCI.
The middle class to obscene riches kid has had everything he ever dreamt, but it is not enough. With unrestricted access to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, there is no one in India who will question anything.

As someone said earlier, Hero worship is the bane of our society be it politics, sports, films or anything. Look at politics as an example, none other than Lallu is the perpetual hero in Bihar, Karuna in Tamilnadu, Mayawathi in UP..etc, while nationwide, the incompetent, supremely pampered Rahul is the super-hero.
It is high time, everyone realises that Sachin, despite his records has arguably become a black blot and a regrettable shame on Indian cricket.
Name any notable International or Indian cricketer, and all have retired from sports in glory, and with respect, at the right time in their career.
There was talk about a dignified retirement a few years back, with even the most well known players including Imran Khan and Steve Waugh suggesting the same, but the insatiable financial greed ensured all that was mere talk.
Some claim that it is the elusive 200 tests record that the currently poorest performing Indian batsman is after, while his financially well-rewarded cronies like Dravid. politicians of all shades and BCCI big money pots continue to trumpet that he is going through a long bad patch but has many more years left in him!
People need to know the obscene amount of advertising money riding on these glorified sportsmen as well as the lure of a stint in the most corrupt Cong-I politics, post retirement. After all, even the tainted, Hyderabad fixer extraordinary and Cong-I’s minority MP is back in the financial game now.
The ‘respectable cricketer’ had successfully claimed deductions from convertible foreign exchange, significant amounts he received as advertising income from ESPN Star Sports, Pepsico and VISA in 2011.
In June 2011, the master batsmen, invited wrath of fans on social networking sites after selling off a Ferrari 360 Modena supercar that he received as a gift from Schumacher! The sports car was sold to Jayesh Desai, a Surat businessman who refused to reveal any details on the amount or modalities of the suspecetd black money transaction. “When Sachin got his Ferrari as a ‘gift’, he wanted duty & excise exemption; now that he has sold it will he ask for capital gains exemption?” wrote Tushar Gandhi, great-greatgrandson of Mahatma Gandhi, on social networking site Twitter.
No one has been able to comprehend as to why, a top player,, whose earnings over two decades amount to many hundreds of crores if not billions, had taken a bank loan of 25 lakh to buy a tiny apartment on the outskirts of Mumbai.
Our cricketing hero has had his controversies in the pitch too. In the second Test between South Africa and India in Port Elizabeth in November 2001, reputed international match referee Mike Denness, a straightforward and firm Scot who had captained England in 12 Tests between 1973 and 1975, declared with clear camera proof that Sachin had been found tampering with the seam of the ball. On two occasions he was spotted clearly by the camera working on the seam of the ball with the thumb and forefinger of his left hand. The powerful India board president Jagmohan Dalmiya demanded Denness be removed from the final Test, where he was again the nominated ICC referee.
Talk about certain powerful players and BCCI’s clout? Well, Denness served as match referee in only two more Tests and three ODIs and was not reappointed by the ICC the following year.
Our hero has been very keen on having his 12-year old son, get selected and bowl for India. Considering his power and clout, no one will be surprised. Our colonial obsession with cricketing royalty has already allowed the junior to do unofficial match practise along with the Indian squad, even on overseas visits.
The Cong-I nominated MP has been blocking so many young talent from getting limelight and exposure, including Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Robin Uthappa, Manoj Tiwary, Ajinkya Rahane, Murali Vijay and many more bright talents with no political clout or god father in the BCCI. The same reasoning goes with why Doni has blocked out supreme talent like Dinesh Karthik, Parthiv Patel.. etc
The middle class to obscene riches kid has had everything he ever dreamt, but it is obviously not enough. With unrestricted access to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, there is no one in India who will question anything.

@’mudi’malnad
So Sachin is ‘giving’ the fish to hungry while others are ‘teaching’ the hungry to fish? :)

What a joke that money comes back to society. Unless the money is siphoned off to Swiss bank, the money always ends up within Indian society.

@harkol,
Thats 100% true. Actually few years back BCCI claimed & won a case in court that playing 11 is not India XI, but BCCI Club XI. So they are not answerable to anyone. And since they are promoting sports, they are eligible for tax exemptions !!

To think a school drop out was given a honorable seat in Rajya Sabha, but prefers hanging out as a third man on the field now. What a shame!. I think he only seems the moolah, not any great feelings for country!.

@nastika,
He is doing more than ‘ giving to fish ‘ to hungry. ( visit apnalaya.org & if you like? You can contribute to it too, that’s just one example,)
They ( husband and wife) have helped lot of people who needed surgery / urgent medical treatment etc,
Money coming back to society, : only people who give back to society can understand that.

People should not get carried away by the so called charity adventures of celebrities. Unlike the billionaire philanthropies abroad like Bill Gates, here in India, the pseudo benevolent actions of the black money pots is primarily intended for two clearly crooked objectives:
• Avoid paying income tax under the section 80 G umbrella
• And in the process also get a positive image in media and society
Although it’s too late and the repairable damage has already been done, Sachin Tendulkar should at least now take a cue from Ricky Ponting.
Sachin’s greed for money and fame is well known but it is regrettable to see a hero become zero in the eyes of millions.

@richardws,
Sir, You did mention about Infosys foundation in of the previous posts too!
First of all infosys foundation was formed in 1996( that’s after they went public ). Why this foundation was not there before 1996? They were making money( in fact more profit on their investment ) before too. They spend 1% percent of POST PROFIT ( and Tax) money. ( basically share holders money). It came into existence partly to help people ( thanks to Sudha madam) and partly to boost corporate image ( and tax). My reference is about individual NRN.( not the institution, compare to Buffet and our own Premzi)
While SRT and his family were helping from the beginning. If my memory is correct Sachin signed his first big deal (?30 Crores) with Ravi shasthri and late mark mascarhanas in 1994-1995.( got married in same year too). Point is he was spending around 5-6% percent of his income even before he signed that deal. Where you see the name and banner infosys foundation everywhere you don’t hear (& see) anything about his charities.
I do agree there are some tax incentives to this but in Sachin’s case good intentions were there even while he was leaving at sahitya sahawas and even before he got really rich!

The master batsman of yore is only following his ‘reputed marathi manu from Pune’, who is now back in action in the country’s pathetically sick and highly corrupt sports administration, that is on the verge of being banned by the IOA! India is the only country where tainted, obese and jailed sports officials like Suresh Kalmadi, Abhey Singh Chautala, Lalit Bhanot..etc..or financially-driven sportsmen like Azar or Sachin..etc, never ever retire and go on and on minting money.

While the sports administers wield awesome power despite crossing the maximum age limit prescribed by the IOA, the sports stars plunge into politics while not even attending parliament! After all a glorified MP tag ensures no IT or CBI official will ever dream of a raid.

Our politicians get perpetually re-elected to head various sports bodies by crooked cartels for decades, similarly certain super-rich cricketers get retained in the team thanks to a biased selection committee. Folks like Dhoni and Sachin are masters at disguising age, weakness or any nervousness that they may feel but they are now under even more intense scrutiny than usual.

Sachin has obviously lot all the respect that he once had. Tendulkar’s decline has gathered speed since he concerned himself more with the statistical side of batting or revenues from advertising..etc rather than constantly seeking a match winning contribution. The national selection committee is a lame duck and there’s more chance that the Dalai Lama will be replaced than Tendulkar forcefully moved aside.

Such has been the most noticeable struggle of the Cong-I nominee MP, that his batting average in the last 10 innings has been a dismal 15.3. During this period he has scored just 153 runs! No wonder one sees unprecedented calls from young, talented players in India and a once adoring public, for the batsman to finally retire.

India is a land of blind hero-worshipping, especially of film stars, cricketers and politicians. While his fast depleting fans may still be batting for Sachin Tendulkar, a sad refelection of his current status is the fact that television ads featuring Sachin have dried up in the past few months as a string of poor scores has dimmed the lustre of what used to be one of India’s most iconic cricketing figures.

Sportswear firm Adidas, beverage maker Coca-Cola, camera maker Canon, insurance firm Aviva have not aired any national television commercials of the 39-year-old since June. Others such as RBS Bank, Future Group, Jyothy Laboratories, Toshiba have decided to spend their precious advertising money elsewhere.

Celebrity agents believe the uncertainty about Tendulkar’s future, his reluctance to hang his boots despite his poor form and growing tsunami of public ire in the midst of unprecedented negativity in the media, are all having an impact. “Sachin’s inexplicable decision to keep playing is combined with his foray into politics sponsored by the Cong-I is sending mixed signals… Ideally, a brand will only monetise an ambassador if he is successful, positive and confident… unfortunately, Sachin is neither right now ”

Considering the favorable conditions, it is entirely possible that Tendulkar might score a ton and recover some goodwill in the Eden Gardens Test match against England. But after striding the international cricket scene like a king for over two decades, he has had a completely dismal 12-16 months. He has averaged just 27.07 per innings in Test cricket during the past one year, and in his last four Test matches, his highest score is 27 while he has not scored a Test century in past two years!

Well, now that the black money flow is dripping down to a trickle, one can assume the batsman will retire and finally allow talented youngsters to get an opportunity. After all, there is a lot more money to be tapped, post retirement too!

Even when Sachin Tendulkar isn’t having a great time with his bat, he manages to make records.

Soon after the lunch session, when Tendulkar scored his second run off England Monty Panesar on Day 1 of the third Test at the Eden Gardens, he completed 34000 runs in international cricket, highest by any cricketer in the history of the game.

In his 23-long career, Sachin has scored over 15560 runs in 192 Tests and 18426 runs in 463 ODIs.

Sachin, who made his international debut in November 1989 against Pakistan, is also the only cricketer to have scored a ton of tons (51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs).

After his consistent absence in parliament, including voting on major issues due to test matches, the well know flunky of Rahul Gandhi and Rajiv Shukla, ought to decide if he wants to be a MP or a cricket player.

Well, when you have the backing of powerful and openly corrupt politicians like ICC Prez Sharad Pawar, BCCI Prez N. Srinivasan, Secretary Sanjay Jagdale, Cong-I Minister Rajiv Shukla and many more, one does not need to worry about anything in India, while the stealth swiss account swells…

All players find it difficult to cal it a day, SRT is no exception. However, the fact is that it is time for him to let Indian cricket move ahead. A stretch of 10 test matches (around 15-18 innings) is good enough to reflect at the form of a player. Here is another reason of why: http://vinishgrg.wordpress.com/2012/12/10/to-hang-boots/

Sachin Tendulkar should not retire.Virat Kohli should be sent to two down position and Tendulkar to bat at three down position.
India is loosing because :-
1)Playing with four bowlers,
2)Failure of openers which ultimately leads to Failure of middle order.
3)No Allrounder at 6 number like Eknath Solkar/Tony Greig/Gary Sobers/Doug Walters etc.
Test cricket is always played with two openrs,three middle order batsman(one of them a change bowler).one allrounder,one wicketkeeper batsman.three fast bowlers and one spinner / two fast bowlers and two spinners/one fast bowler and three spinners.
In past India played with:-
1)Solkar,Abidali,Bedi,Chandra & Prasanna,
2)Kapildev,Binny,Shastri,Yadav & Sivaramkrishnan,
3)Prabhakar,Srinath,Kumble,Chauhan & Raju
India is loosing because of improper Team Combination and not due to Sachin Tendulkar.